Friday, November 29, 2013

Below is the playlist from my weekly radio show on commercial-free community radio. This is in no way a reflection of the kind of music that I typically play at a wedding or other private event. For more about the fascinating differences between DJing live events and DJing on the radio please scroll down to the end of this post.

Complete listing of all my playlists are available here
http://spinitron.com/radio/playlist.php?station=krfc&djuid=80

It's always so striking to me how the energy level can
vary so much from one event to the other. Some audiences will make it
seem like they will dance to anything, still others can really challenge
a seasoned Disc Jockey to feel like they have delivered a great
performance.

The very best thing about DJing for a
live audience is the real-time feedback they give you. No words need to
be spoken, 50 - 500 people cannot help but let you know how the party is
going. This leads to a certain trust and understanding between audience
and DJ. This is called "reading a crowd" and is an absolute blast when
you are good at it. I also like to encourage people to approach me
throughout the night to make requests. This helps to really hone in on
what the crowd might is calling for.

DJing on the
radio is totally different. No crowd. No Feedback. There might be a
handful of phone calls from people who are listening. They might offer a
few encouraging words to go along with a question or a request here and
there.

I DJ on a non-commercial community radio
station which is even different from standard commercial radio. I have
total freedom over what I play on daytime radio as long as its FCC
compliant and not too aggressive. Some of the more adventurous music is
reserved for shows later at night. I take my work and music selections
very seriously, I work very hard to play music you won't hear on most
radio stations. This includes a lot of local music and other seldom
heard tracks from more well known artists.

Community
radio allows me to really explore how music can go together and how to
transition from one style to another. It's also a lot of fun to play one
song and then play something completely different that the listening
audience could not have predicted but will in my estimation enjoy.

The
biggest difference between DJing for a live audience and an unseen
audience in radio land is the difference in music. DJing for a live
audience typically demands that you play more recognizable dance
friendly music that will appeal to a wide audience. Community radio is a
much more open format in which I can play the most amazing music
without any consideration to whether or not a song is danceable.

Djing
both to live audiences and on community radio is to me what I believe
to be the best of two closely related but different worlds. I consider
myself very lucky to have one foot in each of these two realms.
Experience in one always compliments the other making me a better all
around DJ and entertainer with every passing week.

Monday, November 4, 2013

Many unforgettable evenings spent providing entertainment for so many Colorado and Wyoming newlyweds along with thousands of their guests made for yet another great year at JR Productions DJ.

This year saw many improvements including an expanded light system go into place along with some software upgrades to add even more reliability and professionalism to the overall experience. It did not go unnoticed as this year also saw many venues begin to include JR Productions DJ on their highly coveted "suggested vendors" lists.

I am already hard at work on a new plan for further improvements in 2014. I am most excited about developing a guide on my website to outline all the many choices people have when they are customizing their reception.

Onward and Upword! But first here is a video looking back at JR Productions DJ 2013 Weddings Highlights